Sanctuary
by medicgirl
Summary: When everything gets to be too much, Cam takes Daniel to his one safe place: the family farm. Hilarity and healing ensue
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing Stargate related.

Author's note: This is pretty different from my normal style of writing and is pretty much just a long piece of fluff. This is dedicated to Doc and Kim, for not only loving me like their own and giving me a sanctuary, but for trusting me to protect it while they were gone. I love you guys.

Cameron Mitchell sighed and leaned against the wall outside Daniel Jackson's quarters. Running his fingers through his short, sandy-brown hair, be straightened, and hoped his eyes weren't as red from barely-contained tears as he thought they might be. He could handle this whole 'fate of the galaxy in our hands' thing. He could even handle the fact that for now, they seemed to be losing that battle. But attempting to comfort a member of his team, watching while one of the strongest men he'd ever seen sobbed into a pillow was just about more than he could take.

When Vala destroyed the Mega-Gate, she had saved all their lives, and maybe even the universe. She had also absolutely shattered Daniel. The man had been through so much, and had sacrificed so much for the Stargate program, had lost so many people he cared about, and was still standing. Cam knew that if he had to go through a quarter of what his teammate -his friend- had, that he would be in the fetal position on the floor under a table somewhere.

But now, with Vala gone and most likely dead, it was like it was all catching up with him at once. Most wouldn't understand, since by all outward appearances Daniel didn't even like Vala, but Cam got it. They picked at each other like a pair of little kids, but would fight to the death for each other. And on top of everything, Cam knew the guilt had to be crushing him.

Not that Cam blamed Daniel for anything, or anyone there at the SGC for that matter, but Daniel had this overdeveloped conscience that tended to make him blame himself for everything. And from the ferocity of his grief, all that was catching up with him too. Ignoring Vala when she had tried to propose an idea had been the first thing he had tried to talk about, and that was when the tears came through. By the time he confessed that he felt the Ori being there at all was his fault (conveniently forgetting that the rest of them had just as much to do with it as he had), Daniel was pretty much a wreck.

Cam had tried to soothe his distressed friend with words, but as that didn't work he ended up just rubbing his shoulders while he cried. As Jackson finally fell into a fitful doze, he slipped out of the room. This was way more than he could fix by himself, he had to call for backup…

He sat down heavily in his office chair, the weigh of the day beginning to sink into him. Yeah, he needed this too. Maybe not as badly as Jackson did, but he definitely needed this. He picked up his phone and called General Landry. When he explained the situation, the general not only granted his request for four days of leave for him and Daniel, but told him to make it a week. With a snort, the general also told him that with all the insanity SG-1 gets themselves into, the break _and_ the breakdown were long overdue. Cam thanked him, and hung up. One more call to make…

On the third ring, a female voice answered "Mitchell residence."

"Hey, mom…"

"Cameron! I haven't heard from you in weeks! How are you doing? Are you okay? You don't sound well, son."

Cam winced. Maybe this wasn't the best of ideas… "It's been a rough one, mom. On me and even worse on one of my men. He's having a really hard time, and I thought maybe if I could bring him back to the farm for a few days…" He couldn't finish that. Not to his mom anyway. _Yeah, mom, maybe if I take him back to the farm for a few days and let the normalcy ease the pain of losing a friend, make him forget that the blood of this whole galaxy could be on our hands any minute…_

Fortunately, as an Air Force wife and an Air Force mother, she knew the gist of what her son was trying to say. And deeply regretted what she would have to respond with. "Oh, Cameron, I'm sorry. Your father and I were just about to leave to go spend a week with your Aunt Shirley. She just had heart surgery, and she's not doing too well, you know…" She could hear him let out his breath in a sigh. It really was that bad, then. "Well, son, we were going to have the Carson boys from down the road come take care of things for us. But if you and your friend don't need us, you can come down here and feed the animals and such for us. Unless you just wanted a break…"

Cam grinned, liking the way that sounded. Now, not only did he have a plan, but he had a way to get Jackson to go along. He might not go along for a vacation, but he'd never turn down a friend needing help… "No, mom, that's great. We'll be there as soon as we can get packed and get in the car."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When he returned to Daniel's quarters, he was twisting and squirming in the bed, fighting whatever nightmare he was in the grip of. The pained whimper tore at his commanding officer's heart, and Cam rushed to his side. Grabbing his shoulders, Cam shook them firmly. "Jackson, wake up! You're having a nightmare, c'mon…" This was as far as he had gotten before Daniel jerked awake and years of hand-hand combat instruction under Colonel O'Neill kicked in. One hand went up to protect his face, the other drew back to strike.

Cam jerked back, letting go of his shoulders. "Easy, Jackson! It's me, it's Cam!" He put his own hands up to cover in case a punch was actually thrown. The difference between his stance and Daniel's was that his was purely defensive. Ever if the confused man attacked, he would never retaliate against him. He'd been there one too many times himself.

Daniel finally blinked into reality before he did something he would badly regret. "Oh, wow, Cam, I am so sorry! I didn't hit you, did I?"

"Nah, you didn't hit me. That had to be a real screamer, whatever you were dreaming about. Wanna talk about it?"

Daniel rubbed his eyes and looked around for his glasses. Cam promptly retrieved them from the night stand and put them in his hands. He put them on, and faced his friend. "I-I don't remember. I remember that I was terrified, and then…" He couldn't describe the feeling that followed the fear. "As clichéd as it sounds, it felt like my heart just broke in two. The worst emotional pain you can imagine. And that's all I can remember." He dropped his head, embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, I didn't come because you were screaming, I just found you that way. Listen, I need a huge favor."

Daniel straightened up a little. "What?"

"Well, it's kinda this family thing. Ya see, my Aunt Shirley had to have open-heart surgery and she ain't doing so well. My mom and dad have to go stay with her for a while. They need someone to take care of the farm for a week or so while they're gone. I couldn't say no, being their son and all, but it too big a job for me to do myself." He slapped Daniel on the shoulder. "So I thought I might be able to con my good buddy Daniel into coming along…"

Daniel looked at him for a second, confused. He must still be asleep, because Cam's request didn't make any sense. "Huh?"

"I need help. Surely you can manage a week of hauling hay and milking cows. Sam always says you ain't the same skinny little nerd who came in here 9 years ago, here's your chance to prove it…" Daniel still looked skeptical. "Look, I can't do this alone… the farm's in the middle of nowhere, and even if I could manage the work, I'd go nuts out there all alone. Come on… you wouldn't do that to me, would you? Make me stay out there for a week with no one to talk to but the cows? Come on, that would be cruel!"

Daniel's eyes showed that he was softening. "But-"

"Already cleared it with the general… we got a week."

"But I-"

"I know you don't know anything about farming, but I do. I just need a strong back and a willing pair of hands." Daniel made a face that was almost a smirk. "Yeah, that was way cornier than it sounded in my head. So, you in?"

"It seems I don't have a choice…"

Cam grinned and clapped him on the back. "That's my wingman!"


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the people who reviewed! That just made my day! I'm not sure how long this story will be, but I guess we'll all see together. Hang on for the ride, enjoy, and please review and let me know if you liked it:)

Daniel flipped through the radio stations again, with no more luck than he had the last seven times. "Doesn't anyone out here listen to anything besides country? I mean, country music is okay, but if you don't listen to anything else, it's amazing there isn't a higher suicide rate!"

Cam grinned. "Just another reason we're a little tougher than you city people."

Daniel gave up and settled on the least suicidal-sounding song he could find. It actually wasn't that bad, but he had been in the car for several hours and he was getting tired. And cranky. And Cam's maniacal driving was not helping his already frayed nerves. Of all the people who should just not be driving a sports car, Cam Mitchell was very high on the list. He turned another ninety degree turn without touching the brakes, and Daniel had to amend that maybe he was the _whole_ list. "At the risk of sounding like a pre-schooler, are we there yet?"

"We're almost there," Cam said. "We'll stop at Ralph's and get a burger then head out to the farm. Sound good?"

"Uh… Ralph's?"

"Yeah! Best darn burgers in Kansas. He's got this huge grill, a real grill, not those stoves with grooves like most places and…"

He went on and Daniel couldn't help but smile. Cam seemed so happy to be going home. He made up his mind to keep the whining to a minimum so as not to spoil his friend's fun. "Sounds good," he said, a grin creeping onto his face against his will. Cam's enthusiasm was contagious. A deep corner of his mind that he tried to keep quiet wondered how it felt to have a real home to go to when the world got to be too much.

While Daniel couldn't say whether they were the best burgers in Kansas, he could say that they were great, and not just because he was very hungry. And the bag of whatever local brand of chips he got were great too. Nice place, in a typical small town way. He made a mental note to ask Cam if they could stop there on their way back too. Then his mind wondered briefly to what they would eat while they were there. In the movies, the farm families always ate biscuits and gravy and pork chops, no matter what meal it was. While he sincerely doubted that was the case, the image stuck in his head. He wondered if Cam even knew how to make gravy. Or biscuits. He certainly didn't. As his thoughts circled into more and more illogical puddles, he leaned his head against the window and dozed off.

Cam studied his sleeping colleague. The ever-present dark circles under his eyes were immeasurably more pronounced. "Jackson," he said quietly, not intending to wake him, "when was the last time you got a good night's sleep?" He shook his head as he watched Daniel twist restlessly in the passenger seat. "Man, this just has to help. If it doesn't, you're about to the end of your rope…"

Pulling into the barnyard, he tried to ease the Mustang to a stop, but the slight jerk was enough. Daniel woke with a shout, pulling frantically at his seat belt as if restrained. "Calm, down, Jackson! It's okay!" Panicked breathing got louder beside him, and in a desperate attempt to ease his friend's fear, Cam reached over and unfastened the seat belt.

Free from the immobilizing effects, Daniel came back to himself, and flushed when he saw Cam's fearful blue eyes staring at him. "Uh… sorry." He stared down at the floor and tried to gather some composure. "I didn't do anything too stupid, did I?"

Cam winced, his heart nearly breaking for him. He'd been there, tortured by his own mind whenever he dozed off. It was a hell he wouldn't wish on anyone, especially a good man like Daniel. "No, you didn't do anything stupid. But no one would blame you if you did." He paused. "You…uh… see anyone about those dreams?"

Daniel shrugged. "Dr. Lam. She gave me some sleeping pills."

"You takin' them?" Daniel shook his head, and Cam tried to put on his best CO face. "And why not?"

Daniel shrugged. "I tried. It didn't get rid of the dreams. It just… made it hard to…"

He couldn't seem to finish, so Cam picked up on the thought. "Makes it hard to wake yourself up, huh?" He hadn't thought about that. Nightmares were bad enough when you could shake yourself out of them. If you were just trapped… "Got ya. Anyway, we're here. Come on…"

He got out of the vehicle and Daniel did the same, both pausing to stretch cramped muscles. Cam grabbed the suitcases out of the back and blatantly ignored Daniel when he tried to take his out of Cam's hand. He set them down on the porch long enough to fumble with his keys and let them inside.

Daniel paused on the porch, looking around at the vast panorama. It was absolutely beautiful out here. He had never put much thought into living that far from… some type of civilization… but he had also never contemplated the sheer beauty of this world. He had taken long moments to appreciate the landscape of other planets, but standing here on the Mitchells' front porch, he knew he had in the process overlooked the beauty of his own world.

His thoughts were interrupted by Cam's voice from inside. "Hey, Jackson… did you get lost?"

Despite his exhaustion, despite the fact that every muscle in his body ached from spending way too long crammed in the tiny sports car, despite the enormous load on his mind, Daniel grinned. This place felt different. Like nothing out there could get to him here. He felt safe, for the first time in a very, very long time.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! They make my day! Seriously... As I've said in previous stories, a happy paramedic is a good paramedic, so... Anyway, I probably won't be able to update every day, but I'm shooting for every other day or every third day at worst. Between 50+ hours a week at work, a full church schedule, a four-year-old, and a husband who acts like a four-year-old most of the time, time to write is hard to come by unless I'm at work. Anyway, read on, and enjoy!

After dropping the bags in his childhood bedroom, Cam rejoined Daniel on the porch. "Just enjoying the scenery," Daniel explained. In the time Cam had been gone, he had moved back to the steps and sat down.

Cam sat down beside him and gave him a sitting tour of the farm. "On the far right is the cows pasture. A little to the left is the chicken house and pens. Next over is the cows pasture. Then-"

"You keep the cows in one pasture and the bulls in the other?" Daniel asked.

"Well, yeah. Otherwise we'd have no idea when to expect calves or which bull they belong to."

"Oh." Daniel felt silly.

"So, the horses and dog, as well as two roosters are behind the house. I'll introduce you to all the critters in a few minutes. Come on inside and I'll show you around the house."

After a tour of the old farmhouse, Cam spied a note on the kitchen table. He smiled as he recognized his mom's handwriting.

Cameron,

I hope you had a safe trip, and I really appreciate you and your friend helping us out. Here's a list of what needs to be done each day.

-Milk Kitty

-Put out 1 bale hay each for cows, bulls, and horses

-Feed chickens and roosters

-Gather eggs

-Feed cats and dogs

-Pick beans and tomatoes

You and your friend help yourself to anything you want to eat or drink, there's some strawberries still growing behind the shed. Help yourself. You boys have a good time, and I hope you enjoy your break from the crazy world you live in.

Love,

Mom

Cam felt his ears turn red as Daniel red over his shoulder. He was thirty-five years old, and Daniel was only a few years from forty. They were hardly 'boys'. But it was an argument he would never win with his sixty-year-old mother. Daniel, however, was stuck on another part of the note. "Milk Kitty? Your parents have a cow named Kitty?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Best darn milk cow in the state. Speaking of which, you ready to give it a try? I'm going to go out on a limb and say you've never milked a cow before…"

"Never tried. Don't have a clue how. But this has got to be interesting…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was nearly an hour before they made it back into the house, covered in sweat (both human and bovine), mud, and manure, with Daniel triumphantly holding a glass jug of milk. It still seemed disconcerting to him that it was warm. He understood the physics of it, that it had been inside the warm body of the cow (Kitty… he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around that one), but still… warm milk was just disgusting. He wasn't sure if he would be able to drink it or not. At the moment, he was leaning toward not.

Cam took the milk from him and put it in the refrigerator, then put a check mark beside that on the note. "What's next?" Daniel asked.

"Hay, chickens, eggs, dogs and cats, and garden."

Daniel tried not to look intimidated. "Well, lets get too it. I've got to have a shower before I touch anything remotely clean."

Cam lugged a bale of hay from the barn over to the bull's pasture, then sat it down to flip a switch. "What's that?" asked Daniel.

"Electric fence. Keeps the critters from getting through the fence. Hurts like hell if you happen to pee on it." He shrugged. "Or, to a lesser degree, if you just touch it."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Um… ok." He paused, trying not to think too hard about it, but had to ask. "Ok, so do people pee on these things often?"

Cam looked away, hiding an embarrassed grin. "Well, it's kinda a farmboy initiation. My cousin dared me when I was a kid, then we dared the neighbor boy. Before you understand about electrical conduction, it doesn't seem so stupid."

Cam opened the gate and turned to get the bale of hay, but Daniel had already picked it up. "I got it." He followed him through the gate, and instantly two very large red bulls rushed at them.

Daniel looked like he was about to bolt when Cam started laughing. "You having flashbacks to _8 Seconds_, Jackson? Chill out. They won't hurt you." He took the hay from the near-terrified archeologist and met the bulls, dropping it in front of them. He cut the strings holding it together and began petting the giant creatures as they ate. "Good boy Butch, Sundance. You scared my friend. Why don't you tell him to come over here, I don't think he'll listen to me. Tell him it's okay."

The bull on the left raised his head from the hay, and made a soft noise, looking right at Daniel, and Cam just about fell over laughing at the look on his face. Somewhere between terrified and amazed. "Did it understand you?" He asked.

Cam shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure. But Mom and Dad spend a lot of time with them, so maybe _he_ did. Seriously, they won't hurt you. Come on." Daniel still hesitated, and Cam patted Sundance's neck again. "Trust me. Would I do something to get you hurt?" Daniel didn't answer, and Cam winced. "Ouch! That hurts, man!" Daniel grinned sheepishly, and Cam amended it. "Would I do something to _intentionally_ get you hurt?"

Daniel finally walked over to his friend and the two giant creatures, and hesitantly patted a furry, well-muscled neck. The bull didn't object, and Daniel smiled. "They seem so… docile…"

"What'd I tell you? They're just big pussycats."

"Yeah," said Daniel with a snort. "Really, really big pussycats." But he didn't step away from them, not even when Butch nudged his leg. What he didn't notice was that the leg of his jeans was just a little too close to the bale of hay. Before he knew what had happened, Butch got a mouthful of denim and Daniel's feet flew out from under him. He landed in the mud and manure with a splat.

Cam hurried over to him, thinking '_Oh, crap, if he's not hurt he's gonna kill me!'_ "Jackson! Man, are you okay?"

Daniel sat up carefully, somewhere between disgusted with what he had landed in and relieved that it wasn't solid ground that would have cracked his skull open. "Yeah. I'm good. We're just going to pretend that this is mud, ok?"

Cam laughed as he reached out a hand to help Daniel up. "You got it. Go take that shower and I'll finish up here."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I refuse to put a disclaimer on every chapter because if it's not obvious that I don't own anything related to Stargate other than a pretty cool olive drab cap I wear to work when my hair is a mess, then I'm not the one with the problem:) Glad you guys are still following me, hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review. Pretty please? With sugar and whipped cream and a cherry on top?

By the time Daniel had washed all the cow excrement off, as well as the general ickiness from milking the cow, dried off, and dressed, Cameron was back inside putting seven eggs into a carton. "Hey," he said, glancing at Daniel's clean clothes, his hair still wet and tousled.

"Hey," Daniel replied. Both paused for a second, both knowing what they wanted to say, but Daniel broke the silence first. "Look, I'm sorry to abandon you out there. I just… That took me by surprise."

Cam grinned, relieved, and shook his head. "Don't worry about that. I'm sorry… well, not really sure how to say sorry the bulls dropped you in a pool of cow crap-"

Daniel held up a hand. "I thought we agreed that it was just mud."

Two pairs of blue eyes met, and both met burst out laughing. In a matter of moments, they were laughing so hard that Cam was practically on the floor and Daniel slid down into a nearby chair. Tears streamed down Daniel's face, and the sobering thought occurred to Cam that this was probably the first time in a very long time that Daniel had laughed. Trying to cover the frown that hit his face unwarranted, he clapped Daniel on the shoulder. "You leave me any hot water?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they were both clean and ready to face the world again, Cam began rummaging around in the refrigerator. Daniel had to admit, his Ralph's burger was long gone. "So, uh… what is there to eat?"

Cam stared into the fridge. "Well, we got left over potato soup, cereal (Daniel winced behind Cam's back… that would involve milk…), ham-"

Daniel couldn't help but cut him off there. "Ham? Like, real ham? Something you guys raised?"

Cam smirked. "Uh, no. This came from the deli at Shop-Rite. Sliced extra thin, ready for a sandwich."

"Oh." Daniel again felt silly. "Sorry, go on."

Cam closed the door, then opened the freezer. "We also got Hot Pockets, and a couple of frozen pizzas. And… Hey, alright, Mom!"

"What?"

"She obviously went to the store after she talked to me." He held up a thing of ice cream. "Vanilla and orange sherbet mixed, my favorite!"

Daniel was snickering again. "What?" Cam asked.

"I don't know… it's just…" He was cracking up now, laughing hard somewhere between the humor of his thought and his total exhaustion. "I mean, Hot Pockets and frozen pizzas? Deli ham and Breyers ice cream? It's just not what I was expecting…"

"Really?" Cam said with a grin. "And what were you expecting?"

Daniel shrugged, getting his laughter under control. "I don't know. I guess biscuits and gravy, pork chops, lard. Stuff like that."

Cam laughed. "You've seen one too many movies. So… potato soup or frozen pizza?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Both physical and emotional exhaustion caught up with them both soon after dinner, and while it was still pretty early, Cam decided it was time to deal with sleeping arrangements. "There's no guest room, Jackson, so you got my bed and I'll take the floor."

"Huh? I won't run you out of your bed. I'll take the floor."

Cam rolled his eyes. "Jackson, my dad would tan my hide if I make a guest sleep on the floor. Ain't you heard about southern hospitality?"

Daniel didn't have much of an argument for that, and didn't comment on the idea that a full grown man was still afraid of his dad. Maybe that was normal. He certainly didn't know… "Kansas isn't considered southern."

By the time they were settled in, Cam with several blankets on the floor and Daniel feeling somewhat guilty in the bed, it was almost a reasonable bedtime. The sun had set behind the hills surrounding them and the crickets and other nightlife were making themselves known outside. Cam loved this time of the night. No matter what was happening in his life, laying here in his childhood room listening to the sounds of the country soothed him. If it couldn't make all the chaos go away, at least it could give him a little time-out. He only hoped it could do the same for Daniel.

Cam's room was small, but functional, and Daniel didn't imagine Mrs. Mitchell had changed much since her only son vacated it. There was the basic bedroom furniture, bed, desk, dresser, and bookshelf. He smiled to himself as he noticed all the shelves were full of books except the second from the top. It was absolutely full of model planes. He could imagine Cam sitting at the desk for hours putting them together. Maybe his father has sat beside his son and helped him. He could imagine his friend's young face beaming with pride as he finished putting together an old B-59 bomber, listening to his dad's stories. It was a nice picture.

Cam heard Daniel shift in the bed, and could tell he wasn't asleep. As team leader on missions, he had plenty of chances to observe his team's sleeping habits. When Daniel was asleep, he didn't move. Unless he was in the grip of a nightmare. "Penny for your thoughts, Jackson."

Daniel paused. He couldn't tell Cam that seeing the normal life Cam had lived here brought up bad memories better left alone. "I was just looking at your planes over there. I bet you put a lot of work into them."

Cam chuckled in the dark. "Yeah. I spent most of my allowance on models from the time I was eleven until I left. That's just a few of them there."

"Really? Where are the rest?"

"Well, I took some of them with me when I moved into my apartment. They're on shelves there. Some are in the attic. And there's a bunch of them in my dad's study. I'll show them to you tomorrow if you want."

Daniel smiled faintly. "Sounds good."

Through the open window, the crickets chirped and frogs croaked. Bats and owls filled the night sky. In the other window, the air conditioner sat dormant, letting the mid summer night air do its work for it. And Daniel fell into his first restful sleep in several weeks.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this took so long. My job has been absolutely insane in the last few weeks. And when I say its insane... well, there's not even a real adjective to describe what that translate into in paramedic-speak. at least not in polite language... my partner had a good word for it, but I'll leave that to the imagination... Enjoy and please review!

Daniel awoke suddenly, without the usual stage of confusion between asleep and awake. 15 years ago, he wouldn't have thought it possible for him to have these kind of combat-ready instincts, but the train of thought in his mind was crystal clear. _Oh, God, something's on fire! Gotta do something… Uh-Oh, Mitchell's not in his bed… Gotta find him…_

He sprang from his bed, wearing only a pair of sweatpants, and sprinted for the stairs. "Mitchell!" He yelled, making it down the stairs and taking the turn into the kitchen, where he stopped dead and stared at the scene before him. Cam was covered in flour, fighting a fire on the stove with a dish towel and the lid to a pan. The oven timer was beeping obnoxiously, undisturbed by the chaos going on, and it was obvious Cam was losing the battle.

Cam turned at the sound of Daniel's voice. "Jackson! Fire extinguisher, second cabinet on the left, under the sink." He hissed in pain and dropped the dishtowel as it caught fire and burned his arm. Daniel found the fire extinguisher, and fought with the pin. "Come on! Don't you know how to work it?"

Daniel made a face, but didn't look up from the task at hand. "I'm an archeologist and a linguist! I didn't know I was required to have firefighting expertise!"

Cam reached around him with his good arm and pulled the pin out. "Now, squeeze that…" Daniel did as he was told, and Cam instantly found himself covered in white powder. Within seconds, however, the fire was out. Cam held his burned left arm out from his body as he reached out with his other to turn off the oven timer. Minus the annoying beeping, all that could be heard was the heavy breathing of two men from fear and exertion.

Recovering slightly, Daniel pointed to Cam's forearm. "You okay?"

He shrugged, examining it closer. "Sure."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Ok, let me rephrase… How bad is it?"

Cam sighed, and held it up for his friend to see. Daniel winced at the blistered flesh cutting a two-inch path across Cam's inner arm, halfway between his wrist and elbow. "Ouch. What the heck were you doing?"

Letting out a small laugh, Cam shook his head. "You were talking about 'farm food' last night, so I thought I would try to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Called mom and got her recipe. But apparently, gas stoves and loose flour don't mix well unless you know exactly what you're doing. Which I obviously didn't."

Daniel dropped his head, trying in vain to hide the smirk threatening to emerge. "You were trying to make gravy?"

"Yeah. As you can see, it didn't work so well."

Daniel was still struggling very valiantly to maintain a straight face. "Got a first aid kit?"

He followed Cam into the bathroom to treat his arm. Cam got the small white box out of the cabinet, and for a moment pondered the chances of being able to do this himself. Figuring they were about as high as him finding the Easter Bunny playing Texas Hold 'Em with Santa Claus, he shrugged and handed it to Daniel.

Some burn cream and a bandage later, Cam seemed to be as good as new. Daniel knew it had to hurt, but Cam played it off as nothing. "So, Jackson… you gonna help me clean up that mess in there? Mom'll have a fit if she comes back and it looks like a snowstorm hit her kitchen."

Daniel nodded. "Of course. You know, you didn't have do that you know."

"What?"

"Try to make gravy. I mean, I was just talking last night. I didn't mean for you to do all that… Or set your mom's kitchen on fire."

Daniel looked down and Cam could almost feel the guilt radiating off of him. He winced and not at the pain in his arm. "Look, Jackson… I did what I did because I wanted to show you the real farm experience. But the obvious fact that I'm not Martha Stewart is not your fault." He wasn't sure whether to continue or not, but he had to say something to snap his friend out of it. He brought him here to relieve some of his guilt, not add more to it in the form of a second-degree burn. "You always seem to put yourself last. And it's cost you a lot over the years. So today, and tomorrow, and for the rest of the week, lets at least pretend that you realize your worth as a scientist, as a member of SG-1, and as a damn good friend. Okay?" Daniel still wasn't looking up, but he could see the corners of his mouth turning up in a smirk. "If it makes you feel better, I can make it an order…"

Daniel finally looked up, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "I guess I can pretend for a few days."

Cam broke into his trademark bright grin. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" He clapped Daniel on the shoulder as they headed out of the bathroom. _Now, I just have to get him to actually believe it… not quite as easy as getting him to put on a smile and pretend…_

He got the broom out of the closet and followed Daniel back into the kitchen. "So… I interest you in some breakfast?"

Daniel laughed, and it was a sound that lifted Cam's mood exponentionally. "Sure. Anything but gravy."

As they entered the kitchen, the smell of smoke assaulted them. Even stronger than before. "Uh…" Daniel said. "I'm thinking that's not good…"

Cam's eyes got wide. He had turned the oven timer off, but not the oven its self. "Oh, hell! The biscuits!"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry this took so long, but its a little longer. Hopefully it makes up for it. I recieved the comment that the fire in the last chapter might not seem plausible. Let me assure you, if you are making gravy on a gas stove and aren't particularly coordinated, it is not only possible but probable. That's why I don't like gas stoves. I hope you enjoy this, and please review. reviews make new chapters come faster:)

By the time the smoke had again cleared and they had removed the small pieces of charcoal that had once been biscuits, cleaned up the white/yellow powder from the fire extinguisher, and put the burned pans in the sink to soak (Cam really hoped they were salvageable… he really didn't want to have to explain this one. It would be a story to tell at Christmas for the rest of his life…), both men were starving.

In consideration for the near disaster, Cam had a bowl of cereal and Daniel had his second meal of Hot Pockets in less than 12 hours. As they ate, Daniel asked, "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

Cam took a drink of milk, and Daniel shuddered inwardly. "Well, I thought we'd get an early start on the chores, then maybe go for a walk. Thought I'd show you the whole farm. You up for it?"

"Sure." A nice hike in the woods, minus automatic weapons and immediate life threats, sounded like fun. He couldn't actually remember the last time he had walked in the woods for the simple pleasure of it. His life prior to the Stargate program had been a whirlwind of theories and lectures, then that one peaceful year on Abydos which had no landscaping but sand and rocks, the painful fog of the next couple of years searching for Sha' re' and finally the chaos and fear of the last several years. Yeah, a nice hike sounded like a good idea… It occurred to him to suggest a picnic, but he was afraid Mitchell would try to fry chicken or something and burn the house down for real.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel wasn't quite so lost when it came to the farm work today, having seen it done and even helped some the day before, so he was actually able to be a little more help. He filtered the milk and poured it into the jug, even though his stomach still turned a little as steam rose from the hot liquid. "Not bad, Jackson!" Cam said with a grin. "By the end of the week, you'll be able to run the milking machine all by yourself!"

Daniel smiled at the compliment even though he wasn't sure he agreed with it. It looked too complicated for even Sam, with so many tubes coming out of it that it resembled a giant squid. Or the Xaxians of P3X-542. "We'll see."

From the milking, they moved on to the chickens. "I'll feed if you gather the eggs," Cam said.

Daniel nodded, and went to the side of the chicken house. As Cam scattered crushed corn or whatever it was that the chickens ate, he opened the hatch to where the first set of nests were. There were three eggs in the first nest, none in the second, and one in the third. Setting them on the ground, he closed the hatch and opened the second. His eyes widened as he came face to face with a large white hen. The hen puffed her feathers up and made a noise Daniel didn't know hens were capable of. He stumbled backwards in his crouch and promptly fell on his butt. "Uh… excuse me, ma'am. I'll try back later." He picked up the four eggs and stood up.

Cam was putting the lid back on the chicken feed when Daniel shut the gate and came out of the pen. "That all the eggs?" he asked. "There's usually at least seven."

Daniel's face turned red. "I…uh… well, she wasn't finished."

It took Cam a second to figure out what that meant, but when he did, he just about doubled over laughing at the image of Daniel Jackson encountering mother hen laying an egg. He'd have given anything to have seen it. Daniel was still blushing, but was trying hard not to laugh.

When Cam finally stopped laughing, he tried to keep a straight face. "You know, Jackson, it's not that bad. I mean, a chicken laying and egg isn't like a woman giving birth."

"It's not? But I thought…" He wasn't actually sure what he thought. In fact, he couldn't seem to remember ever having thought about it at all.

"Nope. And every egg isn't a baby chicken. You knew that one, right?"

Daniel scanned through his memory. "No, I don't think I did."

"A hen lays eggs whether there's a rooster or not. So it's not like having a baby. A better comparison would be a woman having her period."

If at all possible, Daniel blushed even more. "Gee, thanks. I really needed that image!" His mind was warring between the image of a bloody chicken and the thought that first milk and now eggs, before long he wouldn't have anything left that he would be able to eat. Finally, he just had to stop and shake his head vigorously to clear it.

It took very little time to finish with the animals, and they were ready to go check out the farm. Cam was as excited as a clam at high tide to show his friend the rest of the farm he grew up on. It was such a beautiful place and he didn't have many opportunities to enjoy it himself anymore, let alone share it with anyone. "C'mon, Jackson! You ready yet?"

Daniel finished tying the laces on Cam's old hiking boots, having not taken his own on this trip, and stood up. "I'm ready. Let's head out."

They climbed the gate into the cow pasture, and started on the tractor road up the hill. It was warm out, but not overly so and it was a pleasant exertion. Daniel took in every nuance of the woods around him, the branches overhead shielding them from the July sunlight. Cam was in full tour guide mode. "When I was a kid, I used to be able to climb any tree in these woods. And see that big stump over there? Grandma Mitchell and I used to have picnics here. She'd bring a sheet and a picnic basket and we'd sit on the rocks and eat. When I was a little kid, she's point out an animal like a squirrel or something and make up some crazy story about it."

"Really?" asked Daniel, unconsciously drifting toward the stump. It was about five feet in diameter, nearly perfectly round, and had several flat rocks around it like seats. He imagined Cam and an old woman carefully moving them into place so they could have seats at their nature-made picnic table. "Like what?"

"Goofy stuff, mostly. The kinds of stories that a seven-year-old would love. I remember one about a squirrel that was really an international super-spy."

Daniel snorted. "A squirrel spy? Did it speak English or what?"

Cam had a faraway look to his eyes, lost in the old memories. "It could write. Had a little pencil. And it was an international spy, remember? It wrote in German."

Daniel wanted to laugh. A super-spy squirrel who wrote in German. But the wistful expression on Cam's face halted the humor in its tracks. This was nothing like the memories he had of his grandfather. "Sounds nice."

Cam nodded. "It was." He sat down on one of the rocks. "I used to spend all my time out here. I'd spend hours just wandering around in the woods, climbing trees, chasing critters and stuff. I haven't been out here in ages. Way too long."

Daniel sat on the smooth rock opposite him and continued to look around. They were on the edge of a huge open meadow. "Mikey Turner and I used to play ball over there in that field. He was the only neighbor close to my age. We were pretty much always together. All through school. Even went to the Air Force together."

"Are you still close?" Daniel asked.

Cam looked away. "We were. Right up 'til the end."

"Oh." He paused, formulating a response. "Combat?"

Cam shook his head. "Nope. Just a stupid accident. He was home on leave and was showing off in his Camaro."

There was nothing Daniel could say to that, and a peaceful silence descended upon them as Cam shook off old memories. Cam picked up three acorns and began to juggle them. Finally, Daniel broke the silence. "It's beautiful here. So peaceful. Back at the mountain, everything is life and death, and fate of the galaxy and all that, but here, things seem so much simpler."

Smiling, Cam nodded. "I know. It's like its all so complicated out there with all the shades of grey, but here, it all seems so simple.. Just basic concepts, ya' know? Like right and wrong, and family, and helping others. What's really important."

"Do you miss it?" Daniel asked abruptly. "The simplicity, the way it all makes sense here?"

"Every day of my life," Cam replied.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry it has been so long. Between my job and my life in general, I haven't been able to write anything like this. It took another weekend trip to my own sanctuary to be in the frame of mind to write about peace and relaxation. Does anyone out there know what I mean? If I had tried to write on this a week ago, the Ori would probably have hovered over and blasted the entire farm. Not that that would be a bad storyline, just not what I'm trying to write here. Also, It was mentioned that the landscape I described bore no resemblance to Kansas. If you can, overlook that as the egocentric view of a Kentucky paramedic who has never been to Kansas. Too late to change the setting now. Just bear with me:)

The sun was high in the sky as Cam and Daniel finished their circle of the ridge around the farm and Daniel figured it had to be somewhere around 3 PM. He had taken his watch off in the barn when they were milking Kitty and had forgotten to put it back on. He supposed Cam probably had his, but it just didn't matter enough to ask. It seemed like a lot of things he worried about in his life seemed less important here. Time, schedules, briefings. He would have thought he would be bored without work. He had tried to pack a few translations with him, but Cam had insisted he not. He had used some line about how the farm wasn't secure for classified documents, but Daniel knew better. Cam just wanted him to get away from it for a while.

The farm was beautiful, the high point being at the back of the ridge. From the back of the fence line they could see the entire property. They were so far up that the large house looked small enough to cover with a dime. The sheer rock cliff had to be five hundred feet high, but Cam made his way to the edge and leaned against a tree only a foot or so from the drop. An easy smile crossed his face and he looked ten years younger. The peace radiating from his friend overpowered the fear of heights and he inched closer. The combat-ready part of his mind said he was trying to get close enough to grab both Cam and the tree if Cam was to slip, but the rest of him knew better. The sight was just so awesome he was drawn in. He knew Cam wouldn't fall, and moreover, he knew Cam wouldn't let _him_ fall.

Daniel wasn't sure exactly how long they stood there, but they neither of them moved until Daniel spotted an old gray truck pulling up the long driveway. "Friends?" he asked.

Cam watched the truck for a moment, then saw a graying man and a blond woman get out. "Yeah! That's Larry and Wanda from next door. C'mon, lets hurry."

Ten minutes later, they were climbing over the gate beside the house. Larry was sitting on the edge of the porch playing with Bandit, the dog, and Wanda was sitting in a rocking chair beside the door. She spotted them first, and pointed for her husband, who got up and strode toward Daniel and Cam. Bandit, having been abandoned, wandered over to Wanda and dropped his head into her lap as if to say, "He left me! You pet me now?" She grinned and scratched his head.

Larry greeted Cam and Daniel with a raised hand. "Cam! How are ya, son? And who's your friend? You're Momma said you were bringing someone, but she didn't know his name."

Daniel dropped over on the outside of the gate and dusted his hands on his jeans, then offered Larry a hand. "Daniel Jackson, sir. I work with Cam."

Larry shook his head. "Don't call me sir, you're letting this grey hair fool ya. I ain't but about 5 years older than you!"

Daniel blushed, and Cam jumped in. "I got some eggs for you, Larry. We were gonna bring them over later, but since you're here…"

They walked back to the porch where Bandit lay obediently at Wanda's feet. Cam looked at him for a second. "How did you get him to lay down like that? Any time any of us sits down out here, he's practically in our lap!"

Wanda grinned. "I just told him "Down!" and he dropped."

Cam shook his head and muttered something that sounded like "retarded dog" but he couldn't be sure. To the group, he said "Come in guys. I was just showing Daniel around the farm. We were up on the ridge when we saw you pull in. Sorry it took us so long to get back."

"No problem," said Wanda. "We saw you car, and no one was in the house, so we assumed you were up in the woods somewhere. We thought about ringing the bell like your momma used to do when you were a kid."

Cam grinned widely and led Daniel to a window, where he pointed out a large bell, like an old west dinner bell. "When I was a kid, I'd be back in the woods and couldn't hear Mom or Dad yell for me to come home for lunch or whatever. So Dad put this bell up. It carries a lot farther and whenever I heard it, I knew it was time to come home." In his mind, he wished Wanda or Larry had rang the bell. It would have been fitting, and very nostalgic, being called home that way again.

Daniel smiled, happy to have had this little insight into his friend's childhood. Wanda stood up from her seat at the table. "Your Momma told us to make sure her boys ate something besides junk food, so I brought you both a plate from lunch. Daniel, do you like pork chops and gravy?"

Daniel and Cam looked at each other, each biting their lips to keep from exploding with laughter. Finally under control, he grinned. "Sure."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long, real life has gotten in the way of me feeling anything like peace for a long time. I am in the middle of a huge life crisis, and reviews might make it feel a little better. And yes, I am that shameless and pathetic. Please review! Please?

The house was dead silent as Daniel quietly made his way downstairs, wincing slightly as he heard the floor squeak beneath his bare feet. It was just after two in the morning, and he didn't want to wake Cam. Then again, if the younger man had slept through the nightmare Daniel had just woken up from, chances were against a squeaky floor being a problem.

Sweat for the night terror still drying on his skin, he turned right into what had to be the neatest room in the house to him. The light switch illuminated the small room with soft light, making reading easier. Cam had called the room "the library" and the name suited it perfectly. Six floor-to-ceiling bookcases were packed solid with books. New paperbacks, dust-jacketed hardcovers, and several leatherbound volumes that would look at home in Daniel's own collection lined the shelves, and a cloth-covered rocking chair sat in the corner. Ignoring the computer desk near the center, Daniel chose a book at random and sat down in the rocker. As he examined the book he was holding closer, he saw a title he recognized but had never read. _The Hobbit_, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

He had never read it, always meant to. It was one of those books everyone knew to a certain extent. He knew it was about Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's uncle or whatever and how he got the ring. He had years ago in childhood read _Lord of the Rings_, but had never read the prequel. A few pages into it, he looked around, his eyes falling on the battered old couch in the far corner. A maroon throw pillow with some of the stuffing coming out of the corner set askew and an old quilt was folded neatly beside it.

The idea of going back to bed didn't appeal to him in the slightest as he shuddered from the remembered terror from the unremembered dream. But there was nothing wrong with getting more comfortable as he read… He moved to the couch and pulled the soft quilt around himself. The oversized book balanced on his knees, he was well aware that he must look like the ten-year-old he hadn't been for a long time holding the large, leatherbound book.

The couch was more comfortable than it looked and he could feel himself begin to relax. For a few moments he tried to fight dozing off, but he was just too tired. The book fell forward onto his chest and that was exactly how Cam found him later that morning.

Cam woke up slowly, as he often did at home, rather than the usual late-for-a-briefing, world-is-ending, Tasmanian-devil-on-crack vault from the mattress onto the floor. His ears awoke first, hearing the country sounds of the animals and bugs as opposed to the mechanical hum and people-noises of the base. He slid his eyelids open to see the ceiling painted light blue like the Kansas summer sky and the two lighter model planes hanging from the ceiling. Slowly stretching him relaxed muscles, he looked over at the bed. It was empty.

A sick feeling hit his gut. There was no reason for him to worry, they were safe here. No Ori, no priors, no aliens at all unless you counted those weird kids down the road who wear their pants backward. There was nothing at all to make him think there was anything wrong. But he knew Daniel, and the kind of trouble his friend seemed to almost magnetically attract…

The earlier peace forgotten, he scrambled from the bed and rushed downstairs, ready to search the entire place if necessary, call in the airforce, the marines, the national guard, and the Morman Tabernacle Choir if necessary to find him. As he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned for the kitchen, he realized that the light was on in the library. Knowing he didn't turn it on, he went to investigate.

The scene before him was just too cute to even believe. Daniel was curled up in a fetal position, clutching a book to his chest like a teddy bear. Even as he smirked, something tugged at his heart. The sense of peace that surrounded Daniel when he was asleep. The smirk softened into a fond smile. He could do the morning chores alone this morning.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, animals fed and good to go, Cam took off his mud-covered boots and came back inside, hungry. He was almost to the kitchen when he heard the whimper. Automatically rushing to Daniel's side, Cam called out to him, hoping his voice would be enough to shake him out of it. Not this time, as Daniel began to whimper louder, and squirmed around on the small couch as if in agony. A stray tear leaked out from his left eye, and Cam knew he had to get his friend out, even if it cost him a black eye. Coming closer, he made a desperate attempt to pin Daniel's arms before shaking him. "Jackson! Wake up! It's just a dream!"

He shook the sleeping man, who let out a cry. "Stop! Please!" Daniel pleaded, and Cam jerked back before realizing that whoever Daniel was talking to, it wasn't Cam. He reached for him again, going to try one more time to shake him out of it when another cry broke loose from Daniel's throat, and a powerful left hook connected with Cam's jaw.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Again, sorry it took so long. Trauma-induced writers block, and right now even my sanctuary can't protect me from the mess my life is. Please review, forgive my slowness, and let me know you're still reading.

Stars clouded Cam's vision as he landed roughly on the polished hardwood floor. The pain in his jaw collided with the pain in his rear end somewhere around the middle, and he almost blacked out. With a cry, Daniel sat straight up on the couch, hands to his face as is anticipating a return blow.

When he saw Cam on the floor, holding his face and shaking his head to clear it, he dropped his hands. "Oh, crap…" On his feet in an instant, he was kneeling on the floor beside Cam before the younger man had registered his return to consciousness. "Cam, are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you or where I was and I told you _never_ to touch me during a nightmare and I'm so sorry!"

Sure Daniel hadn't taken a breath in there anywhere, Cam reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. Unfortunately, his vision was still blurry and he missed. Daniel was way too observant not to notice. "Are you okay? You're not, are you?" Cam tried to answer, found that he was still slightly stunned, and tried to nod. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Daniel asked, holding his hand in front of Cam's face.

Cam was finally able to find his voice, and with that, his sense of humor. "Twenty?"

Daniel rolled his eyes at the lame joke. "Scratch the possibility of brain damage, it was like that already." The tortured expression softened the sharp point of the joke. His friend's jaw was already swelling and turning a color that would deepen into an ugly purple-black within an hour. "Cam, I am so sorry…" He wanted to say more, but there simply were no more words. _I'm sorry my inner demons attacked you without my permission? Ya know, on some planets, that would have made me the new team leader…? _Maybe_ Wanna take a swing back?_ He settled for repeating it. "I'm so sorry."

Cam sat up straighter, and realizing his intentions, Daniel put out his hand to help him to his feet. Steadying Cam as he staggered a little, Daniel led him to the couch and settled him to a more comfortable position. Vision finally clearing –_Jackson could pack one hell of a punch!_- he took in the expression on his face. The phrase "heart-breaking" had been thrown around a lot; to the point most people simply considered it hyperbole. But it was the only adequate way to describe the look on Daniel's face. Cam literally felt his heart twist in his chest.

The older man was still pale and sweaty from the dream, lines of fear and pain edging his mouth and eyes. The thin t-shirt he had slept in did not conceal taut muscles, poised and ready for action…obviously… But the agonized blue eyes focusing on the bulge on Cam's jaw were the worst. While eyes might not be the windows to one's soul, Daniel's eyes were almost always windows into his overactive brain. A brain which was at this moment tormenting its self over allowing this to happen. Over letting fear take control. Over being human. Cam couldn't let that go on for another second.

"Jackson, stop thinking that right now. And that's an order!"

A wry grin eased some of the pain in those eyes, but not enough. "The Air Force is allowed to order people what to think? Sounds like an abuse of power to me." He was pretty sure Cam didn't know what he was thinking, and that was for the best considering he was currently considering sleeping in handcuffs for the remainder of the trip. The grin faded. "Are you okay? Should you go get x-rays or something?"

Cam rolled his eyes, regretted it as the world continued to spin even when his eyes were again stationary, and said "Over a punch? Come on, Jackson… what would that do to my tough guy façade?" A twitch of Daniel's mouth at the corner was the only response. Considering the circumstances, Cam decided to call it a smile. Grading on the curve and all…

Talking was starting to hurt. He could either pretend it didn't and ignore the injury, only to have Daniel worry and hover more when the swelling and bruising got worse, or he could deal with it. Both would cause Daniel a fair amount of guilt and self-flagellation, one would cause Cam a little less pain. "Stay put," he told Daniel, who nodded, looking away. Crap… he better make this quick, before the guilt got to him. Leaving Daniel sitting on the couch, toying with the stuffing leaking out of the throw pillow, he pulled himself to his feet with minimally-noticeable effort and walked as steadily as possible to the kitchen. One hand grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen and the other the bottle of apple juice out of the fridge. Downing four with a drink straight from the bottle- _Sorry, Mom!_-, he pulled the ice pack his dad used when his shoulder gave him problems. Molding the cold gel to his jaw, he headed back to the library.

Sitting back down on the couch, sideways facing his friend, Cam suppressed a wince as a new flood of guilt filled Daniel's eyes. Then failed to suppress a wince at the strain on injured muscles from suppressing a wince. Daniel's jaw tightened in sympathy. Cam wished he knew a way to convince him it was okay. Sure, it hurt, but he'd had worse. And it wasn't like he blamed Daniel for it. He did know better, Daniel had warned him. The options had been obvious, the choice even more so, and that made it his own fault, rather than Daniel's. Somehow, he doubted that line of reason would hold water in the archeologist's overactive brain. Didn't mean he wouldn't try…

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked.

Daniel looked at him for a moment. "I hit you. Pretty hard from the looks of it."

Cam wasn't sure if Daniel was being deliberately obtuse, or if that was the more significant part of the situation for him. He dropped the ice pack to the floor. "Forget that. It's not so bad. I meant the nightmare."

Daniel frowned. "Use your ice pack. No sense making it worse trying to be tough. It's going to swell even more."

"If you'll talk to me. As your friend. Tell me what's going on in your head." Daniel made a face. "Listen, the look on your face during your nightmare convinced me that it was worth the risk of getting hit. If you saw me in that shape, you would gladly have taken a punch to stop whatever was happening to me. So I made an informed choice. Now I want to know what was tearing you up so bad. Please?"

After a moment, Daniel nodded. Cam picked up the ice pack and put it back on his throbbing jaw. Finally, he looked away, and spoke. "I wish I could tell you. I really do. My mom used to tell me that when you told someone about your nightmares, they would go away and couldn't come back. And while I know it's just childhood silliness, maybe if I could…" He trailed off and shook his head. "I wish I could remember."

That was the only time Cam could ever remember Daniel mentioning wither of his parents, and it served as a reminder that the scars on his mind and heart went back a long time, long before he had set foot in Cheyenne Mountain. Stumbling onto what was torturing him by guessing would be like trying to trying to take down a ten-point buck with a BB gun, and would in all likelihood do more damage in the process. Discussing the dream would have to wait until Daniel's waking psyche could deal with it. Until then, he would just have to settle for making sure Daniel had as much fun as possible while he was awake. It wouldn't compensate for the night terrors, but he deserved some kind of relaxation. He raised the uninjured side of his mouth in a crooked smile. "C'mon, get dressed. You ride horse much?"


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: This is specifically for Aleya. Thanks for your encouragement. Yes, I am in a fix, and definitely need the prayers. I don't want to give up on this story, but there is so much going on in my life that I'm having a hard time finding the peace to write this particular story. I've not forgotten, and I'm hoping to do a little better with writing it, rather than all my angsty Supernatural stuff, but it's hard right now. I wish I had another way to contact you, but this is the best I've got for now. Thank you.

After a shower and some breakfast, Daniel felt like a new man. Physically, anyway. Emotionally, he was still a wreck. How could he have hit _Cam_? I mean, sure, he had occasionally thought about it, especially when the man was at his most insufferably stubborn, but actually doing it sickened him. This guy was probably his closest friend after Sam and Jack. Could he not control himself any better than that?

But Cam had been rather insistent that he forget it. Being unable to do so, it seemed the next best thing to do was pretend he had. So Cam was fixing breakfast (frozen waffles this time, so very little risk involved), he was going to get dressed and ready and they were going to go ride horses. It actually sounded like fun. It had been years since he had been on a horse. As a kid, it had been a rare treat when one foster family or another would take him to the fair or a stable or something. But when he had lived on Abydos, their most common form of long-distance transportation was very similar to a large pony or a small horse called a _shanin_. And to his surprise, he found it was a lot of fun. And occasionally, on what he had then thought of as a bad day (but today seemed like a good dream), he would take off on Asha, his favorite shanin, and just ride into the desert.

Asha was the color of sand, and Daniel had imagined he faded into the desert he was around. For a little while, what he had seen as a tremendous burden of being the son-in-law of the leader had faded away and he could relax and feel completely at peace. A special kind of peace that he had never felt before or since. The smooth rhythm of the animal's pace, the fading scenery that became less and less important as they moved, and the simple tranquility of not having to be anywhere, think if anything, or deal with any imminent crises. God, he needed that kind of peace now. And maybe this was the way to find a little of it. He knew he would never again find the kind of peace –or love- he had found on Abydos, but this might take him back some.

Daniel was one of the few people who realized that Cam Mitchell was a lot more than the simple country boy he acted like. He may be the one to ask the most idiotic questions, be the gung-ho, "Let's re-enact the OK Corral, boys!" kind of leader, be the one sitting on the bench in the locker room playing his PSP an hour before a mission, but there was a lot more to him than that. He was also the one they couldn't lie to, the one that saw through every very well disguised "I'm fine", the one who would take a bullet for any one of them and not even begin to see that it might not be a fair trade. And he absolutely never, ever gave up on something once it got in his head. And now, it was in his head to get Daniel to be able to get some sleep. With a smile, Daniel had to admit that if he had been able to "get the band back together", surely he could pull off another miracle. And since it was in his head, he would move heaven and earth to make it happen. And Daniel certainly hoped that he could, because quite frankly, he couldn't handle this much longer on his own.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XX X X X X X XX X X X

"Her name is Rebel Princess," Cam explained, leading Daniel up to a beautiful buckskin horse. Daniel's face split into a wide grin as he noticed that she was the same color as Asha, except for the black mane and tail. Cam already had her saddled and tied to a fence post beside the barn by the time Daniel had finished his breakfast. Daniel had gotten out of the shower to find waffles on the table and a note saying Cam had eaten while he was waiting and had gone to get the horses ready. Daniel had inhaled his breakfast and headed for the barn.

"Interesting name," said Daniel. "What do you call her?"

Cam shrugged. "Usually Princess. Dad occasionally just calls her 'Dammit'."

Daniel snorted with laughter, and Cam grinned. "Literally. As in "Come here, Dammit!" and "Whoa, Dammit!""

Daniel stroked her head and scratched behind her ears. "Good girl," he said, and the horse nuzzled him back.

"Cool," said Cam. "She likes you. And this guy," he said, turning to the black and white spotted stallion beside him, "is Marker. See right here? He has a perfect question mark on his side." He pointed to a white spot in the larger black patch. Upon closer examination, Daniel agreed that it did indeed look like a question mark.

Daniel grinned, excited in spite of his exhaustion, the stress of the day, and the stress of punching his friend earlier. "So, where are we going?"

Cam shrugged. "Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning?" Again, Daniel couldn't hold back a snort of laughter. "Well, I was thinking about riding the loop around behind the farm, over onto Larry and Wanda's then down through Cutler's place. It's about a four hour trip. But if you haven't done much riding, we can start smaller."

"Um, actually, I ride pretty well," Daniel said, taking a small amount of pleasure in Cam's surprised look. It wasn't often the he could surprise his friend. "A four-hour ride is nothing compared to what I used to do on Abydos."

"Really?" asked Cam. "Like, you could do longer?"

"Sure. We used to ride for two or three days to meet with other leaders and stuff." A wistful smile crossed his face, and a plan began to form in Cam's mind. "Or sometimes just for fun." That cemented it.

Cam's smile widened, and he tied Marker to the post beside Princess. "In that case, I got a better idea. Come on!" He was grinning like a ten-year-old boy as he rushed out of the barn, leaving Daniel to catch up.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To get the camping gear!"


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for being patient with me, I swear I really am trying. I'm also writing sort of depressing h/c for another genre, trying to pick up the pieces of a seriously messed up life, and starting the decidedly frightening life of a pre-med student, all while parenting my five-year-old son. Those who pray, please continue to pray for me, and for Doc and Kim as they try to guide and help me through all this.

They were several hours in to the ride when Cam realized that maybe this wasn't the best idea. In the three years since his crash, since he had been put back together by all the king's horses and all the king's men, he had been riding once. And that had only been an hour or so on the trail. This was a dozen miles away from home in the woods, with enough camping gear and food to be gone for two days, and he was so freakin' sore he could hardly sit still in the saddle.

But Daniel was actually enjoying himself. He was talking and laughing and asking Cam about all the sights around them and where they were going and actually seemed more like the Daniel Jackson Cam knew, so there was no way in hell he was going to say "Sorry, I can't do this. Let's go home and watch SportsCenter and eat popcorn and stuff." Not going to happen. This was as relaxed as Jackson had been in months and it was definitely worth the pain.

They stopped for lunch at a clearing, eating peanut butter sandwiches, Doritos, and granola bars in calm, near silent contentment. Usually, silence ate away at Cam's sanity like Chinese water-torture, which was why he tended to ramble on and on about nothing so much, but this silence was different. This was a peaceful silence, one that said "all may not be right with the world, but at this very moment, it's not too far off its axis."

The countryside was beautiful, the woods seemingly like something out of Tolkien, creating a canopy over the worn path. They had left the Mitchell family farm miles back, and finally Daniel's curiosity won over the inertia of the silence. "Where are we?"

It wasn't the whine of an SG-1 team member who didn't get the study the ruins properly, or the concerned inquiry of someone who didn't trust the one they were following. It was simple curiosity of someone on an adventure, something Sam or Pippin might ask Frodo. Well, before things went downhill for them all. Cam grinned, despite the growing pain in his back, legs, and butt. "Well, from the back gate of the farm, we crossed onto Arnold's property and rode through that for about fifty acres. Not really sure who owns this, but in couple of miles, we'll be on old man Johnson's place. Three hundred acres of recovered strip mining land. Little while after that is a public campground. That's where we're headed."

"They did strip mining here?" Daniel asked. He had thought it was limited to hillbilly coal towns in the east, Kentucky, West Virginia, places like that. When he thought about it at all, which was pretty close to never.

Cam nodded. "Yeah. Left a lot of things in a mess before they passed a law about turning the land back into something useful back in '69. Just a month or so before I was born. They must have wanted to make sure I had a beautiful place to grow up in." He flashed Daniel his usual cocky grin, and Daniel couldn't help laugh. "You ready?"

Daniel paused before answering. He wanted to see what was ahead, but it had been a long time since he was on a horse. He had forgotten how sore it makes you when you haven't done it in a while. Janet had told him once that there were muscles you use when doing CPR that you don't use for anything else, which was why you were always sore afterward when you hadn't done it for a while. Apparently, the same went for horseback riding. But Cam seemed to be having a blast. It had been months since he had seen his CO smile like that. The man deserved a chance to relax, and Daniel didn't want to put an early end to things by whining about his legs and back hurting. He knew Cam would insist on going back, and Daniel didn't want that. He wanted to see the strip-mined land and the campground and wanted to go camping just for the sake of having fun. He never did that. _Had never done that…_ "Yeah, I'm good."

Cam smirked. "I know you're good. I asked if you were ready."

Nearly an hour later, Cam turned to Daniel. "C'mon," he said. "You gotta see this!" At that, he and Marker took off up a steep hill and disappeared.

Daniel and Princess hurried behind them, afraid for a moment they would lose their guides in the thick trees. Then they reached the top of the hill and found out what a silly fear that was. The tree line broke at the top, and downhill led to a giant open meadow full of waste-high grass and flowers in every conceivable color. In all his travels around the Earth and the universe, this was the most beautiful place he had ever seen. "Wow…" he muttered, wide-eyed, as Princess made her way carefully down the embankment.

"Knew you'd like it!" Cam exclaimed, wide, child-like grin on his face. "When I was a kid, my dad used to read _The Wind in the Willows_ to me. This was always how I pictured the meadow they played in."

Daniel nodded. Never having read _The Wind in the Willows_, he wasn't sure what it was supposed to look like, but this certainly looked like something out of a child's storybook. "This place is amazing!" From where he sat, even on top of the tall horse and not completely down the bank, he still couldn't see where the trees started back.

Cam waited beside him, watching his friend take it all in. "I don't know what old man Johnson did, if he planted half of this or if it's all wild. I always meant to ask him when I was younger, but he passed on ten years or so ago. Guess we'll never know."

"_This_ is the recovered strip mine?" Daniel asked incredulously. He had been expecting… well, bare dirt, barren land, and skeletal rocks maybe… Anything besides this glowing, storybook meadow that only lacked a church or lighthouse to be a Thomas Kincaid painting. The sun was dropping behind the hills, and the sunset light gave it an even more mystical feel.

Cam nodded. "Yeah, apparently this was once where they mined coal. Can't tell it now, this one was sold to the Johnson family before I was born. My dad asked him when I was about 15 what it was good for. You can't graze animals here because the water might still be contaminated, and it's too uneven to farm."

"What did he say?"

Cam's eyes had that faraway look in them again, like he was back there in 1984 again, standing beside his father. "He said that someday, someone might ask him for proof that God loves us. And when that day comes, all he would have to do is show them what beauty grew here where there was once nothing but destruction."

"Wow…" was all that Daniel could say. "I bet that would convince anyone."

"When me and Mom ride, we usually take a little while to take in the scenery, then we race to the other side. If you stick pretty close to the trail, the ground is smooth enough to run them. But if you don't think you can handle it…" He grinned as Daniel shot him a withering glare.

"Just try to keep up, Flyboy!" An eager tap to Princess's side, and they were off.

Cam adjusted his khaki cap, waited three full seconds, then urged Marker to a canter.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Again, sorry this was a long time coming. I now have a bit of a story arc that I might be able to pull off now. Thanks for your patience, and I especially want to thank Krishnaa for pushing me not to abandon this. And I promise I will finish it. Just bear with me, 'k? Oh, and please review...?

It was well into twilight when they reached the campground. Cam unpacked the camping gear and left Daniel to guard the stuff while he took the horses to the riding stable. For ten dollars, they would take care of the campers' horses overnight. By the time he got back, Daniel had unpacked the tent and was nearly hidden behind a pile of canvas and tent poles. "Need help?" He asked.

Daniel smiled. "Need help? No. But I'd appreciate it."

Cam chuckled, and squatted to help him. "If all else fails, we can read the directions."

"Then we'd better hope all else doesn't fail," Daniel replied. "There are no directions!"

They fumbled with them for a moment, before they heard someone clear his throat behind them. Daniel turned to see one of the biggest human beings he had ever seen. This man had to stand at least 6'5", was as muscled as Teal'c and taller. "You boys have your camping permit, I assume?" He demanded in an authoritative tone.

Cam smirked at Daniel. "I got this." He stood up and faced the mountain of a man. "And if we don't? What are you going to do about it?"

Daniel's eyes widened in alarm, both at Cam's words and at the audacity behind them. Oh crap! This guy was going to throttle Cam, and of course Daniel couldn't just sit back and watch it happen so this guy was gonna beat the crap out of them both and someone was going to have to call the base and explain to General Landry why they were both in traction. And Daniel couldn't even do that because he had no idea why Cam was doing this. Surely a camping permit wasn't that hard to get! "Uh…"

"Got this, Jackson," Cam threw over his shoulder without a backwards glance.

"Then I guess I'll have to take you in," the man-mountain half-growled.

"I'd like to see you try!"

And like that, the two of them skipped the fighting part and were on the ground. It was impossible to see who was winning, and Daniel just couldn't sit back anymore. He jumped in and grabbed the mountain from behind, fully aware he was either about to die or wind up in jail for assault or resisting arrest or whatever it was that they were actually doing. Plus camping without a permit. When he finally pulled the man off his friend, Cam was making a noise that Daniel could only interpret as crying. Oh, man… was he hurt that bad? He wrestled the bigger man to the ground on nothing but pure adrenaline. "Mitchell? You okay? Did he hurt you?" The man beneath him was making the same noise. Why would he be crying too? Maybe…

It was then that he realized that neither of them was crying. As Cam pulled himself into a sitting position, tears were running down his face, but they were tears of laughter. Surprised, he backed off the other man and looked at them, confused. "Um… am I missing something?"

Straightening, Cam climbed to his feet (with minimal difficulty, which he hid quite well in his opinion). He offered his hand to the guy on the ground beside Daniel and helped him to his feet. The big guy was still laughing. "Jackson, this is my old friend Mike. We were just messing with each other. It's okay." He turned back to Mike. "Man, I haven't seen you in years! What are you doing here?"

Mike grinned. "The whole group is here. We're camping tonight and tomorrow. I thought I heard your voice, and I heard him say 'Cam', so I had to come… investigate…" He turned to Daniel. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just messing with an old friend. No hard feelings?"

Daniel returned the grin. "Nah. We're good."

"So, you guys gonna come join us or what?"

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Five minutes later, they emerged through the trees to the sound of children laughing. As many times as Daniel had crept through woods to see some bizarre sight, this one stopped him in his tracks. It was the most sane, normal, Hallmark-movie scene he had ever seen. Ten kids, five years old to about fifteen, were running around waving sticks like swords and tossing a football around. About fifteen adults were milling around, a couple eating hot dogs around the grill, some sitting around the picnic table talking, a few were sitting in lawn chairs around a small fire. And one person (it was impossible to tell if it was male or female) was laying over on a picnic table, wrapped in a giant hoodie, snoring lightly.

Mike led the way, dragging Cam with an arm around his neck, and Daniel following close behind. "Hey, guys!" Mike announced to the group. "Look what I found!"

A blonde man stood up from his chair around the fire. "Cam? Cam Mitchell? Is that you?"

A broad grin crossed Cam's face. "Jeff? Wow, man, it's been years!" Jeff crossed the distance between them in just a few steps and threw his arms around Cam. "Who's your friend?"

Daniel stepped forward, offering his hand. "I'm Daniel Jackson. I work with Cam."

Jeff looked at his hand for a moment, then smirked. "Wrong campsite for that, buddy." Then he wrapped Daniel in a hug no less fierce than the one he gave Cam. Daniel's eyes widened in surprise, and Cam shrugged. Releasing him, Jeff kept an arm around his shoulder and turned him to face the rest of the group. "So, you met Mike already. This is my wife Anna, my kids Adam, Aaron, Jenny, and Kari over there." He gestured to the person asleep on the picnic table. "She worked last night, you'll have to overlook her."

That gave Daniel a pause. Jeff appeared to be about 40, and the other kids looked to be around 15, 12, and the little girl maybe 10. The girl at the table appeared to be a full-grown adult. He was about to ask when Jeff continued with the introductions. "Ray and his wife Melissa, their boys Clay and Bobby. Mike's wife Abby and their kids Sara, Jacob, Jared, and Jesse. Laura and her husband Dean, Janna and her husband Sam, and Nikki." He pointed to the last of the adults as a little redheaded boy went racing by. Jeff reached down and grabbed him, tossing him over his shoulder as the boy shrieked and laughed. "And this is little Daniel, Kari's son." After holding the kid upside down for a few moments, he straightened him up. The boy hugged him fiercely and then ran off after Bobby.

Ray joined them, shaking hands (until Cam pulled him into a hug) and someone stuck a plate in his hand with a hot dog and some chips, and some vaguely blueberry-colored stuff. There was a kid climbing up his leg. And a teenage boy was begging him to toss the football with him. Kari sat up, pushed back the hood revealing a short mop of red curly hair, and grinned tiredly. Ray had a guitar and was strumming it softly. Jeff had a bag of M&Ms and was tossing them into the open mouths of the smaller kids ( and Dean and Laura). For lack of a better idea what to do, Daniel told the kid he would play in just a minute, then sat down to eat his food. Cam took Jacob, Jared, Bobby, Adam, Aaron, and Mike to toss the football around. In minutes, he had invented a game that had them all occupied.

Daniel watched them, a smile crossing his face and the sense of peace flooded him. All these people just relaxing, having fun together in a way he hadn't seen since he was a kid. The adults were so genuine, so unself-conscious that Daniel couldn't help but relax in return. He looked up, startled, as someone abruptly sat down across from him. Kari smiled at him, and sat down. "Welcome to the nuthouse," she said, warmth radiating from her big blue eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I know, you guys thought I had forgotten about you... But nope... Just ran out of things to write for this. This chapter is a bit of a rabbit trail, but not much... This story is all about Daniel relaxing, right? Well, he's relaxing:) Please review and let me know you're still out there.

Daniel smiled as Kari fumbled with a hot dog for a moment, hands still clumsy from sleep, before getting a grip on it and taking a bite. Meeting his amused stare, she smiled at him. "I'm starving! Work was a madhouse last night, and this is the first thing I've eaten since last night at dinner."

Daniel grinned, having been there himself. "I understand. You should try this…uh…purple stuff. It's really good."

"You mean Melissa's blueberry surprise? Yup, it's awesome."

"I'm Daniel, by the way."

"Kari."

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, Jeff introduced you when we first got here. You were still asleep. You looked like you had a rough night."

Cam flopped down next to him. "That ain't a very nice thing to say to a lady, Daniel. Or a very smart thing to say to a kickboxing champion like Kari…" He grinned at Daniel, slapping Kari on the back. "Even if we do have one of the best doctors and two of the best paramedics in the state right here."

Ray sat down at the table and Jeff came over. "You got that a little backwards, Cam. You really been gone that long?" Ray said.

"What do you mean?" Cam looked at them confused.

Jeff put his hands on Kari's shoulders. "That would be two of the best doctors and one of the best paramedics in the state. Kari started her internship this year." He grinned proudly.

Cam's eyes widened in surprise, then he gave Kari a high five. "You finally did it, kid? You've been talking about medical school since you were a kid, but when you married that… jerk… I figured that was over. Congratulations! Where is he, anyway? Didn't he come?"

"He's not in the picture anymore. He left Kari and Daniel a few years ago." Kari looked away when Jeff spoke, a cold edge to his voice that told Daniel it didn't matter how nice and gentle a man Jeff seemed to be, he was happy not to be the one who hurt Kari.

Cam winced and Daniel looked at her in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

Kari shook her head. "It's ok. Don't worry about it. We're fine. And I think we were bragging about me making it through medical school…" She grinned, turning the subject quickly.

Daniel took the hint. "So you're a doctor? And if I was to guess, Jeff is the other one?"

She nodded. "And Ray is the paramedic. I used to be too. But then when Travis left us, I had a chance to start over. Thanks to my awesome family." She leaned back against Anna, who smoothed Kari's hair down.

Cam gave Daniel a look that said 'I'll explain later' so he let it go. Kari's smile widened. "I love the ER. It's what I wanted since I was a kid. Last night we had this stabbing and the knife actually-"

Jeff cleared his throat and she stopped. "Sorry… civilians present. I forgot. Anyway, it was a fun shift."

Jeff shook his head. "How many years has it been since I described a shift as fun?"

Kari smirked. "The traumatic pneumothorax last week?"

"Oh, yeah… forgot about him… that was cool. Glad you got to see that…"

Just then a kid who's name Daniel had forgotten came running over and nearly tacked Ray. "Can we play the mafia game, dad? Please? There's enough people for it to be fun!"

Ray shrugged. "I'm in. Who else?"

Everyone chimed in quickly, as it was obviously a favorite game, and Cam was among them. "I'll explain it as we go," he told Daniel. "It's a lot of fun!"

What followed was possibly the most confusing game he had ever played (including the Ritual of Carnan on P3X-942) and one of the most entertaining. A storyteller (Dean, in this case) was telling a story of the mafia killing people in bizarre ways (the highlight being a poisoned toad thrown in a blender with someone's milkshake) while everyone's heads were down. 2 people were the mafia, one was the doctor and could save people, and the job of the rest was to vote off the mafia before they all died. Daniel had no idea what he was doing and it got more complicated the third round when he drew the mafia card.

Dean said the phrase "Everyone asleep" and everyone laid their head on their arms and closed their eyes. Then he said "Mafia awake". Daniel raised up to find himself looking into Kari's smiling blue eyes. He put his hands up, indicating that he didn't know what to do. Kari smiled and nodded, then pointed to Cam. Daniel grinned and nodded. Dean said "Mafia asleep" followed by "Doctor awake", "Doctor asleep" and "Everyone awake."

As everyone sat up, Dean said "Well, we really should all know not to mess with the mafia… and we especially should never try to run off with the Godfather's daughter. But one brave soul dare to try to elope with the fair maiden. Unfortunately, the Don got word of this beforehand, and as this Romeo was heading off with his Juliet, he stepped on the banana peel the Don had left beside his car door, fell into the pool, hit his head on the side and had a near drowning. This left him in a coma, where he was trapped in his body, a prisoner, until a caring friend smothered him with a pillow… And that was how Cam Mitchell met his end…"

Cam growled and leaned back in his chair. "Seriously? First one to go?"

Dean chuckled. "Had to be someone, man…"

Kari winked at Daniel as it all started again. Cam watched the two of them and grinned. If anyone could help his friend, it was this little fireball. He had watched the kid grow up, seen her battle through things that would make a weaker person shatter, seen her triumph and raise and adorable son, become a paramedic, and now reach her dream of becoming a doctor. He was proud of her. And he totally owed her ex-husband a visit. With Teal'c. And a zat gun…


End file.
